Green Tea originally comes from China, although it has been associated with Japan and the Middle East as well. For many years now, the green tea has been the object of numerous scientific and medical studies to find out the health benefits that can be attributed to it. In China there are a variety of green tea that differ significantly because of varied environmental conditions, processing, and harvesting time.

The sole component of the green tea is the leaves of Camellia sinensis. The leaves undergo minimal oxidation that is required during the processing of the tea. Since the green tea is known for the many health benefits that it offers, more and more people drink the tea because of this. Some of the most important benefits include prevention of certain cancers, weight loss, and lowered chances of heart diseases. Although these claims are not supported scientifically, these have not stopped the widespread use of green tea.

In Japan, green tea is simply referred to as “tea”, or Japanese tea. The tea in Japan is also graded according to the different parts of the plant used in making the tea, and the growing and processing methods, as well. The Yame region and the Uji region in Japan are said to produce the best Japanese tea.

Like coffee, unless decaffeinated, green tea also contains caffeine and in fact may even contain more caffeine than coffee. However, the length of time in which the tea is infused with water and the amount of tea leaves can change the caffeine content.